1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to sieving apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In GB-A-1462866 there is described such apparatus, for sieving dry particulate material, comprising a base, a frame mounted on the base for vibratory movement with respect thereto, a grating attached to the frame, means for vibrating the frame relative to the base, and ultrasonic means coupled to the grating to effect ultrasonic vibration thereof relative to the frame.
In this known apparatus the ultrasonic means comprises an electro-mechanical transducer, and in particular a magnetostrictive transducer, the body of which is rigidly mounted with respect to the frame and which is coupled to the grating by means of a metal probe.
With such apparatus the low frequency vibration of the grating effected by the oscillation of the frame serves for bulk movement of material on the grating so that all layers of material are presented to the grating, while the high frequency vibration of the grating effected by the ultrasonic means serves to prevent blinding of the apertures of the grating otherwise caused by material adhering to the grating or by particles of the material locking together to bridge the apertures.
A disadvantage of such known apparatus is that the magnetostrictive transducer becomes hot and requires a supply of large volumes of cooling air to maintain a satisfactory temperature during operation. Further, the transducer is relatively large and heavy, and adds significantly to the mass to be oscillated.